Irene Aldana had one of the gutsiest displays at Noche UFC 306. However, she was compromised by a gruesome cut caused by an accidental headbutt that she now says could have led to far more severe consequences. In an interview with MMA Junkie, Aldana has finally broken her silence on her ordeal.
As she says, the cutman did not perform his job optimally. In fact, she accused him of negligence, potentially worsening a cut that is among the worst-ever in MMA history—certainly in UFC history.
"I didn't get Vaseline. The cutman was putting his weight onto the cut, and I feel like that opened it more. I remember having to posture firmly so I wouldn't go back because his bodyweight was on me. I do think it would've been best to check the replay and have the doctor check on the cut. On that aspect, I do think it was poorly managed."
The cage-side doctor's lack of medical intervention did not sit well with Aldana, who felt that, given the state of the cut and that doctors have stepped in for far more minor cuts, the fight could have been stopped.
"It was risky to continue after seeing the cut and the videos. I mean, you could basically see my skull. It was a risk, I could've gotten facial paralysis or had big consequences of it, but that's how things played out, and fortunately, I'm okay."
Check out Irene Aldana's thoughts on her cut below (7:57):
To Aldana's misfortune, the fight was not stopped. Instead, she went on to lose to Norma Dumont via unanimous decision, leaving her 1-2 in her last three fights.
Irene Aldana has been on a rough patch as of late
Besides suffering one of the worst cuts in UFC history at Noche UFC 306, especially due to an accidental headbutt, Irene Aldana has been through other setbacks inside the octagon. A year ago, she faced Amanda Nunes for the women's bantamweight title at UFC 289.
Check out Irene Aldana's loss to Amanda Nunes:
It was Aldana's first crack at championship gold in the promotion, but she froze in front of Nunes, mounting almost no offense, looking toothless and content to avoid being stopped than trying to win.